


Give A Little Love

by seasalticecream32



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-01
Updated: 2016-01-01
Packaged: 2018-05-10 19:28:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5598007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seasalticecream32/pseuds/seasalticecream32
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: Arthur/Gwaine, but could be Arthur/Merlin/Gwaine too. Please no Merwaine. PG+ Arthur's upset when his best friend Merlin gets dumped by some sleezy grifter, but when he goes to confront the man, he's nothing Arthur expected. For one thing, he's never slept with a man before.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Give A Little Love

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! I wrote this for BBC Merlin Secret Santa, for rachelautumn on tumblr. 
> 
> I'm captainmerlin32 on tumblr if you want to drop in and talk or give me a prompt! :D Thank you!

****Maybe Merlin could handle his own battles. He certainly did often enough. But Merlin showed up on his doorstep grumbling and pouty and a bit more upset than he usually was after his break ups, and Arthur got an uneasy feeling in his gut.

It only grew worse as Merlin explained what happened.

“I mean, I liked this guy a lot! He was nice and yeah, maybe he had a bit of a drinking problem. But he had really nice hair, and he laughed more than he talked, and I don't know. He was sweet, most of the time. Even when he got in that fight in that bar!”

Arthur grimaced. He'd heard descriptions like this before. Suave men, who were dashing and handsome, who were also violent and angry and unreasonable. He'd heard about it from Morgana, and from Morgause, and he'd seen the behavior in his father and the string of strange yet mostly innocent women he'd trailed behind him in Arthur's childhood.

“What happened, though? Why'd he leave you? I mean, you sound like you were mostly getting along?” Arthur's back was stiff, and his shoulders squared. He tried to keep his anger from flashing in his eyes, but Merlin knew him too well.

“Well, I mean, he just said that he felt I was too...” Merlin's cheeks burned bright red, and he looked down at his shoes. “Said I seemed too attached, and well… Apparently he doesn't do long term relationships.”

Arthur blinked, lightheaded with the rush of anger to his skull. He looked Merlin over and shook his head. “Look, I know you're wanting your break up ice cream and those romancy-schmuck movies you like. I'll go grab them for you, so you can sit here and relax. Maybe eat some real food before the sweets show up.”

Merlin rolled his eyes, but stopped biting his lips so they could split into a smile. “I guess. I'll make you a burger too.”

Arthur sighed. “It's not a burger, Merlin. Beans and eggs and breadcrumbs do not make a burger.”

Merlin only winked and headed to the kitchen.

Arthur shook his head and grabbed his coat. It wasn't very cold this year, but it was raining and windy, so he pulled his hood up and made his way down the block.

Two blocks over and across from the bus station, Arthur ducked into the crumbling pub and glanced around the dimly lit table area. The bartender waved him to a bar stool and grimaced when Arthur sat down.

He shouldn't be here. Merlin would get mad at him when he realized what Arthur had done. Still, Arthur protected Merlin. He always had. And even if Merlin didn't think that Arthur knew it, Merlin protected him too. They were a team, and they depended on each other. That's what they did. That's how they worked.

Thinking about it made Arthur's stomach twist around in knots, so he didn't think about it.

He glared at the dark corner of the bar and waited.

He'd heard enough of Merlin's rambling to know what this guy looked like.

Merlin had described him as having flowy brown hair and brown eyes that crinkled when he smiled, which was all the time. He said the guy had broad shoulders and narrow hips, and wore a leather jacket every day. One day, after Merlin had stumbled in from a late night out, bright eyed and kiss-bruised, he'd even heard a rumbling voice wish him a good night.

Arthur ordered a beer when the bartender started glaring at the empty space in front of him, and overpaid so the man would leave him alone. He didn't want to deal with grumpy bartenders or nosy bar-goers. He just wanted to tell this guy to stay away from Merlin and be done with it.

He didn't want to think about why this was so important to him. So he didn't. He nursed his beer and glowered at the door and reminded himself that this guy was no good, just like every other no good guy out there.

He was already through the first beer, and was happily supplied with another, by the time Merlin's ex walked in. Arthur frowned.

The guy was more attractive than he'd expected, and already smiling and laughing with a wiry, dark haired man on his shoulder. At first glance, the guy could have been mistaken for Merlin, if Arthur hadn't memorized the slope of Merlin's jaw and the exact stormy blue shade of his eyes. It appeared Merlin's ex had a definite type.

Arthur glanced at the bartender, who was busy dealing with another customer. He picked up his beer and scooted off the stool, walking as quietly as he could over to the corner where the man sat.

The wiry, soft-smiled man had left, leaving Merlin's ex sitting alone.

“Well, Merlin didn't tell me that his best friend was so handsome. No wonder he got all wistful when he talked about you.” The man winked and waved down a waiter. “Name's Gwaine. I'm guessing you're Arthur.”

“Yeah, so? Merlin said you dumped him.” Arthur's grip on his beer tightened, but Gwaine didn't seem remotely bothered.

“I did. What are you going to do? Beat me up until I take him back? Merlin wasn't even broken-hearted.” Gwaine shrugged and ordered a whiskey and coke, kicking his feet up on the chair across from him. Everything about Gwaine looked lazy and no good, in a way that made Arthur's insides do the same twisty-flip thing it did when Merlin fell asleep against him on the couch.

“I want to know what you got in a relationship with a guy like Merlin for, if you didn't want him to get attached. Merlin gets attached. It's what he does. That is immediately obvious within five seconds of talking to him.” Arthur's cheeks were hot, and his scowl grew deeper.

“Then why aren't you attached to him, hot stuff?” Gwaine leaned forward, his feet dropping with dull thuds back to the floor. “Scared?”

Arthur's mouth dropped open. “Look, I know your type. You're loud, and rude, and violent, and you drag in innocent bystanders with charm and good looks until you're done with them. You owe him a better explanation than that.”

Gwaine patted the seat beside him and shook his head. “I don't owe Merlin anything, mate. He knew getting in it with me that I didn't stay around too long, and I am free to leave whoever I want whenever I want. Maybe I'm a jerk for it, but I would have been worse if I'd stayed.”

“He really liked you. He doesn't get why you left. You've embarrassed him.” Arthur's frown deepened. Usually men like the one Arthur was expecting would have thrown a few punches by now, or tossed out a few insults. Gwaine didn't even seem irritated.

“Well, you know, life isn't always how we expect it.” Gwaine shrugged. “You should sit down and enjoy your beer. Maybe you can leave here with a bit more understanding of your Merlin fellow.”

Arthur rolled his eyes, but found himself sitting beside Gwaine anyway. “What do you think you know about Merlin that I don't? I'm his best friend.”

“And you think that makes you the Merlin authority, do you?” Gwaine let out a loud laugh and shook his head. His tall, wiry friend returned and sat across from Arthur and glared at him.

“You know, Gwaine, people don't usually invite complete strangers to their dates,” the man growled.

“Well, you don't want to be on a date with me anyway. Besides, I'm really feeling more of a blond night coming.” Gwaine didn't look at the dark-haired, baby blue eyed man as he grumbled and took his drink elsewhere. He was staring at Arthur with a smirk on his lips. “You like Merlin, right? Thing is, I don't think Merlin mentioned you were gay.”

“I'm not,” Arthur snapped, and then tried to force himself to deny that he liked Merlin but the words stuck in his throat and refused to come out. “I mean, I'm not gay, but I do like men.”

Gwaine quirked an eyebrow. “Bi then?”

Arthur frowned, and crossed his arms. “What?”

“Bisexual? You like more than just one gender? Two or more, right?” Gwaine shrugged. “I didn't learn about it until senior year, but I eventually decided I felt more comfortable calling myself pan.”

“What's the difference?” Arthur asked, but Gwaine shook his head.

“Look, I'm not going to be your teacher here. If you want to figure all that out, it's better to work with someone you trust and know well. I'm just glad to hear you like guys because you're definitely too nice to pass up.”

“I'm not sleeping with you. You just dumped my best friend.” Arthur leaned back in his chair, an incredulous chuckle escaping him. “I don't see how you came to that conclusion.”

Gwaine shook his head, and his smile faltered for a few seconds before it came back full force. “Look, there's something about me, mate. I don't know if it's my indisputable charm or I was blessed by a fairy godmother as a child, but everyone wants to love me. You will too, before the nights over. But you gotta promise me, you're not going to fall for me and ask for my number. Don't do serious, don't do attachments.”

Arthur snorted. “Sounds conceited if you ask me.”

“Just wait. You'll see.” Gwaine shrugged. “And then you'll go home and remember you're in love with Merlin and it'll be okay. Just sit with me and we'll check out guys together. You probably haven't done that before.”

“Not out loud,” Arthur grumbled, and tipped his beer onto the bottom rim and watched the liquid swish.

“You gotta look at the men to appreciate them, mate.” Gwaine reached over and tilted up his chin towards a black man with broad shoulders and a wide smile. “That one looks like he could split a log better than Chris Evans.”

“I'm more into the Idris Elba types, honestly.” Arthur peered around the bar.

Gwaine snorted. “What happened, then? Merlin is not an Idris Elba type.”

“Well, no, but he's a Merlin-type. Besides, what are these guys? Pokemon?” Arthur shook his head. He eyed a big armed, sweet smiled man leaning over the counter of the bar, smooth talking the bartender out of an extra drink. “What about him?”

“He's a lovely one. I've met him before. He likes to hang around my place when I haven't had a boyfriend in a while.” Gwaine shrugged, and then grabbed Arthur's hand and clutched his chest. “Oh my god, I think I've found just the man for you. If you ever get tired of Merlin, of course.”

Arthur looked around, surprised and spurred on by Gwaine's excitement, only to see Gwaine's reflection pointing at himself from a mirror across the pub. Arthur rolled his eyes, but laughed anyway. “Cheap move.”

“It's working.”

“Is not.” Arthur blushed and pulled his hand away.

“It really is.” Gwaine chuckled and then kept looking. “How about that one? Maybe you're into gingers with blue eyes?”

Arthur looked at the man sitting at the table beside the mirror. He was bearded and curly haired, serious faced and bored looking. His eyes were like blue-tinted glass and everything about him looked a bit washed out. He was handsome, in a way, but certainly not Arthur's type. “I don't think so.”

“Hm, yeah, Leon's straight anyway. Good call.” Gwaine squinted through the bar. “Come on, you've pointed out, what? One guy?”

“I'm not used to scouting out hot guys in a bar.”

“You're not used to _openly_ scouting hot guys in a bar,” Gwaine grinned and gestured over the floor. “Come on, who's the hottest guy in this room.”

Arthur bit back a groan, because of course Gwaine knew who the hottest guy in the room was. The other guys looked nice but Gwaine was all shiny hair and tanned skin and crow-footed, squinty eyes. He was a bit of sadness in a wide smile and a careless kind of beauty. He was definitely the most handsome in this room.

Arthur wasn't surprised that Merlin had dated him, but he was surprised the man had managed to dump Merlin.

Merlin had a way of fixing broken things, and something about Gwaine looked a lot like broken.

Arthur must have taken too long to answer, and stared too long at Gwaine, because Gwaine shifted forward. “I think that's a mighty fine answer you gave there, and if you keep looking at me like that, I promise I'll kiss you and you'll like it.”

“How can you want to sleep with me so badly, knowing I'm in love with Merlin?” Arthur asked, narrowing his eyes. “Don't seem very noble of you.”

“You're still single, mate, and it's the noblest thing there is. You want what you can't have, because you're afraid of it. I know how that is. So I want to share that kindred spirit, give you something back for all that pining you've been doing.” Gwaine shrugged. “You'll leave here brave enough to face Merlin and that possibility of rejection.”

“I don't think sleeping with you is going to suddenly make me decide to come out to Merlin.”

“I have superpowers, didn't you know?” Gwaine laughed. “Look, I'm not going to pressure you into sleeping with me. I'm not a creep. I'm hitting on you, but you're always free to say no. If you want me to stop, just tell me to stop and I'll let you on your way.”

Arthur tilted his head, taken aback by Gwaine's sudden switch in tactics. “It's alright. I've never had a guy flirt with me,” he heard himself saying.

“You've never had a guy _openly_ flirt with you. I can guarantee you, Merlin's flirted.”

“You liked Merlin, didn't you? A lot, I mean.” Arthur pushed his beer away. He had barely drank the second one at all.

“Yeah, I did. But I'm not into guys pining after other guys, and I'm not into sticking with one guy and breaking their heart. I'm bad news.” Gwaine took a gulp of his whiskey and put it down, but didn't wave down anyone for another. “Ever heard the phrase once a cheat, always a cheat?”

“Someone cheated on you?”

Gwaine didn't answer, only looked down at his drink and twisted his mouth into a shamed expression.

“Oh.” Arthur didn't know how to feel about it, but something about Gwaine's posture told him it wasn't a topic worth exploring.

He didn't know how long they talked, or when he'd decided to hold Gwaine's hand again.

He didn't know how they went from snarking back and forth to kissing over the table, or how they ended up in the bathroom (surprisingly clean.)

He especially didn't know how they ended up panting and pants-less in the middle of the stall, Gwaine's lip pressed against the top of his head and both of them dripping sweat.

It wasn't as awkward as it should have been, and wasn't as sweet as Arthur would have wanted for his first experience with a guy.

Gwaine made up for it with a sticky, too-hot cuddle, his hands gently pushing Arthur's shirt back down and then tugging his pants back up. He pressed sloppy, scruffy kisses into Arthur's jawline the entire time, sending pops of sparking sensation across Arthur's already sensitive skin.

“You'd best be getting Merlin some of that break-up ice cream mate. I think I may have been worse than the last,” Gwaine whispered against his neck, still breathless. Arthur felt a smile press there and sucked in a breath.

He was going to be several hours late with that ice-cream. Merlin would be pissed, if he was even still awake.

But now Arthur knew what kind of man Gwaine was. He wasn't the violent, angry, charming type.

Gwaine was the kind of man who fell in love instantly and burned out like match, the kind of guy who left a mark and blazed like fire through people's lives.

He was the kind of guy who kissed a quick lay while he fixed him up and offered reassurances.

Arthur went home a little in love and a lot braver.


End file.
